Lost and Fallen
Chapter 16: Welcome
Clouds were sturdy stuff when they wanted to be. It was probably the Pegasi’s doing, since the bars wouldn’t break under any force I could muster. All those fantasies of clouds acting like cotton candy or pillows were sorely mistaken. It was true they were really soft, but it was more comparative to a rug or a carpet. My attempts were completely futile, but even if I did succeed, I doubt I would have escaped. Running would only further my guilt, and I needed the opposite of that.
Sitting in my cell, I grew increasingly agitated when no one came to visit. Not Rainbow Dash, not Pinkie Pie, not even this ‘Lightning Dust’, who I assumed was in charge of Cloudsdale. It was somewhat peculiar, and I could only conclude they were discussing what to do with me.
In the meantime, I studied a bit of my environment. The clouds, though fairly thick and unbreakable, allowed light to penetrate them, a lot more than I had expected. It illuminated the room like everything was a light. When night passed, it must have been a bit darker, but still somewhat lit with the moon. Nearly all my personal belongings had been taken from me, from my mask to my weapons to my lighter and cigarettes. I was really disappointed about the last one. The guards never walked through the hallway that separated the cells, either because they trusted us not to escape, confident in their security, or were just plain lazy.
I wasn’t really surprised; Spitfire and I were the only prisoners.
With our isolation, it wasn’t hard for boredom to find us, but it was rectified by the harmonica Spitfire had on her. I never asked her why she had one, since I was distracted by how a harmonica was in a Pegasi prison to begin with. I had requested it as more of a joke, regarding all those shows that had the instrument in jail, yet I found it in my hands when Spitfire tossed it to me.
Red in color, and not a hint of grime or neglect on it. Fiddling with it in my hands showed nothing of interest on it, not even a manufacturer logo. The harmonica brought back memories, ones I wasn’t sure if I should be happy about.
“Do you know how to play it?” Spitfire asked, still seated on her cloud bed as she tilted her head in curiosity. I gave a weak smirk as I held up the harmonica, staring at it with both fondness and antipathy.
“Yes,” I answered before giving a deep sigh, “Unfortunately.”
“What do you mean?” Spitfire said, her curiosity being replaced with worry, lifting a hoof up to her chest as if she had crossed a forbidden line.
“My dad taught me how to play when I was young,” I explained, my movements never changing. “He said it was a dying skill, and that someone should learn. It was fun playing it, but when he left, I dropped it all together. I promised myself I wouldn’t ever play it again.”
I narrowed my eyes, asking myself why I hadn’t thrown the harmonica as far away as possible. Maybe I had gotten over my dad’s disappearance a long time ago, or perhaps I wanted to play the instrument for old time’s sake. Whichever the reason was, I found myself bringing it up to my lips, seeing Spitfire’s small smile from the corner of my eye.
The test blows, from high pitch to low pitch, showed the harmonica was unaltered at all. Taking in a lung full of air, I played a slow tune, one that wasn’t really based on anything; I just played what felt natural. Spitfire watched with rapt attention, finding my talent compelling. Having the harmonica sing its familiar melody soothed my senses, temporarily distancing the problems that were constantly hovering over my head.
In a way, it had the same effect my cigarettes did.
The longer I played, the more my brain went off track, thinking over all these poor ponies, even the Pegasi, simply surviving. Applejack was a prime example. It made me wonder if their perseverance would pay off in the end.
“Cut the noise, human,” a loud stern stallion exclaimed, walking into view with armor that matched the ponies in Fillydelphia, though it was silver instead of gold. My halted music caused me to raise a brow in mild anger. A glance over to Spitfire showed she mirrored my feelings, though she expressed them a bit more intently.
“He’s doing nothing wrong,” she stated plainly, gesturing a hoof over to me as she leaned forward.
“Remain silent, traitor,” the guard snarled, turning his eyes to her briefly. His tone got to Spitfire as she blinked before she gave a distraught look, her ears lowering as she faced the floor. Having a Pegasi remind her of her imprisonment must have been like a knife in the heart. Having gotten to her, the guard turned back to me, my anger having grown from his behavior. “Lightning Dust would like a word with you.”
“Oh yeah?” I retorted hotly, tightening my hands over the harmonica. “Then why doesn’t she come here herself?”
“You humans are always the same,” a female voice said in exasperation, the sound of hoofsteps, though slightly muted, resounding in the cell block. It wasn’t long before a mare appeared beside the guard, who stood to attention. The mare herself resembled a little of Spitfire, with her windswept amber and gold mane, and her turquoise coat was similar to Rainbow Dash. The way she carried herself also put her even closer to Rainbow Dash, but the look in her eye - the disinterest in myself - somehow showed how cold she was. Looking me up and down with her eyes added to that description. “And to think Rainbow Dash, of all ponies, vouches for you.”
Hell yeah, she did.
“Just what makes you so special?” she asked, lifting her head up slightly in a way of superiority.
“Well,” I said, lightly tossing the harmonica onto the cloud bed I sat upon, “For one, I actually care about the ponies down below.”
Lightning grunted disdainfully, “You do? Please, if I wanted a guilt trip, I would have spoken with that loud pink mare.”
“Don’t talk to him like that,” Spitfire said, jumping off her bed as she rushed to the bars, “He’s gone through enough-”
“Zip it, Spitfire!” Lighting shouted, whipping her head towards Spitfire with a flash of rage. “You’re already in jail for fifteen years after leaking classified info. Do you want it to be doubled?”
Spitfire deflated completely after that, her body sagging like all her confidence had been drained away. Her reaction made Lighting smirk triumphantly, taking a few steps towards Spitfire. “It feels good to get a little revenge,” she said, putting a hoof under Spitfire’s chin, lifting it up to gaze into her eyes. The smile she had was probably more infuriating than any other I had encountered so far. “I may not be Wonderbolt material, as you put it, but it seems the tables have turned so nicely in my favor.”
Spitfire knocked Lighting’s hoof away, baring her teeth in a form of aggression, but all it did was cause Lighting to chuckle.
“Why’s that?” I questioned, having decided to at least get a little information on this mare.
Lighting chuckled some more as she focused her attention back to me. “After Spitfire kicked me out of the Wonderbolt Academy,” she explained, frowning for a fraction of a second before regaining her arrogant demeanor, “I decided to work on politics instead. My reputation as the daughter of a previous mayor helped tremendously, and a little can-do attitude didn’t hurt either.”
Her frown returned in force as she looked at me, her voice rising, “I was elected mayor just before you humans invaded Equestria. I had no choice but to make Cloudsdale a sanctuary for all Pegasi, and everypony just flew right on up here. Of course, since Pegasi can’t grow food in the clouds, the Wonderbolts were made into the town’s personal scavengers: The Cloudsdale Hunters.”
I hadn’t thought about it before, but searching for food for an entire city must not have been easy. And if the humans knew the Cloudsdale Hunters existed, they would put extra protection on their foods, making it way more difficult for them. That would explain why the group had to be kept a secret, and why everyone loathed Spitfire.
Lightning took a deep breath, wanting to keep calm before she would continue. “I had to make the Cloudsdale Hunters easier to join than the Wonderbolts just to get recruits for scavenging,” she explained, looking off to the side, becoming more distant than I would have expected. By that statement alone, I could assume it wasn’t a very popular idea among the Pegasi to fly down to the surface. “They’re all cowards. Here I am, giving them a chance to help everypony, and what do they do? Hide and wait for somepony else to do it.”
“Are you just going to babble all day?” I questioned, pushing myself to my feet as I pocketed the harmonica. “Or did you come down here for a reason?”
My sudden height put the two ponies on alert, backing away from the bars like I might reach over and choke them. Giving me a wary look, Lightning stated, “I’m actually letting you go, human. You can thank Rainbow Dash for that.”
I jerked my head back in shock, furrowing my brow in disbelief. Even if Rainbow Dash was able to set me free, there was no way Lightning Dust would just let me roam around. Hell, even if she put bodyguards on me, there had to have been some secret agenda she was hiding behind her back. After meeting her for merely a few minutes, I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if that was the case. The look in Spitifire’s eyes matched my own, and I knew I had to watch my step.
Whatever her reasoning may be, Lighting Dust used her mouth to fetch a ring of keys from underneath her wings, which must have been uncomfortable to carry around like that. Sliding a key in, she unlocked it and swung open the door. As she took a few steps back with the guard to give me space, she gave another grin that blared warnings in my brain. She was definitely up to something, and it was most likely having it seem like I had escaped.
As a precaution, I remained in my cell, crossing my arms defiantly. If she was bluffing, then I wasn’t going to fall for it. The few seconds that passed were enough for Lightning Dust to raise a brow in impatience. Even the guard next to her, though unmoving for most of the conversation, was narrowing his eyes slightly. I was definitely getting under their skin - or fur I suppose - but did that mean she really did have something planned for me?
“Come on, human,” she snapped, waving a hoof towards herself, “We don’t have all day.”
I shook my head, “I’m not moving an inch until I know you aren’t going to throw some bullshit my way.”
In the background, I could see Spitfire suppress a chuckle, and I gave a ghost of a smile from it. Lightning Dust, on the other hand, grew angrier as she placed a hoof on her head, giving a low growl. “Fine,” she relented, stomping her hoof as she faced me sternly, “You want some insurance? You wait here.”
She took a few steps away from my cell before turning back to the guard. “Stay here until I get back,” she ordered, not even waiting for the guard to nod in understanding. When I felt she was far enough away, I sighed and sat back on my bed, running my hands across my face. Dealing with her was pretty damn difficult. She was hard to read, and one wrong move could ruin our chance to get the Pegasi as allies. I kind of put that in jeopardy before hand, but if the Pegasi are letting me out purposefully, then I didn’t completely shatter the idea.
“Nice one,” Spitfire said with a small laugh, “Can’t remember the last time she was so on edge.”
I gave a half smirk in acknowledgement, but quickly went back to my frown as I stared at the floor. “I feel uneasy around her,” I admitted, “I’ve dealt with ponies not trusting me before, but this is on a different level.”
“Yeah,” Spitfire said, looking in thought, “I heard Rainbow Dash was here to try to get the Pegasi to help the other ponies. But why are you here? Wouldn’t that make things harder for Rainbow?”
I gave a grunt, a sigh escaping my lips as I remembered asking myself the same question. “My rationale was the Pegasi might think negatively if they find the ponies were hiding me. But when I really look at it, I may have just been a stubborn asshole. It was a bit over my head coming here.”
“Well,” Spitfire said, sounding like she was finishing something up. I raised my head to gaze at her, seeing her smile again, “You’re here now, and you can’t change that. Might as well make the most out of it.”
That was oddly wise for Spitfire to say. It wasn’t that it was true, but that it was something I would find in a movie. This world had more in store than I could ever anticipate, from the strange quotes to the pun-riddled names.
The dull sounds of hoofsteps was suddenly heard, breaking my reverie as we all looked over to the hallway. Lightning walked through, only giving me a glance as she walked past my cell to stand by the guard. That’s when I noticed the other occupant that had followed Lightning.
I would have noticed her sooner, but she had flown straight up to my face, and smacked a hoof against my head. “You idiot!” Rainbow shouted, looking livid as she hovered in front of me. I grimaced from the volume and impact, rubbing a hand where she had hit me. Hooves weren’t soft, and I’d had to learn that the hard way so many times. “You couldn’t wait in Las Pegasus!? What were you thinking!?”
“That I could-” I started.
“Don’t answer that,” Rainbow interrupted, making me sag my shoulders. Great, it was one of those arguments. “You weren’t thinking, that’s why! And you brought Pinkie too!? You both could have died, and it would be all your fault! If I wasn’t here, the Pegasi wouldn’t give you the time of day! They would have left you here in jail forever! What do you have to say for yourself!?”
I waited a few seconds, mostly for the pain to subside in my head, if only by a little bit. After which, I turned my eyes to Rainbow, seeing her face contorted with worry and anger. I had seen that look from Emma enough times to recognize it; Rainbow was genuinely afraid of my death. And to see it in Rainbow was saying something.
“Are you finished?” I questioned, which only got me another hit on the head from her. She then turned her back to me, crossing her forehooves in the process.
“Now I’m done,” she said with finality.
Grumbling a bit from the second strike, I thought about a reasonable response for her. I could explain the same reason I had given myself and the other ponies, I could say it was her fault for not taking me with her in the first place. Hell, I could have simply ignored her and walked right out. Yet from all those choices, I went with the simplest.
With a heavy sigh, I said, “Sorry.”
The single word didn’t make Rainbow react in the slightest, though she did tilt her head a little towards me, showing that she was listening. I could tell Lightning was rolling her eyes. She really was not in tune with these types of conversations. It made me wonder if Lightning and Rainbow had a history together, but I had to remain focused.
“I shouldn’t have come here,” I said, my tone sounding forced as I gazed to the ceiling, “I shouldn’t have brought Pinkie. I just… wanted to help.”
Rainbow turned her head back towards me, her eyes softening a bit. She lowered herself until her hooves met the floor, then she faced me fully. She was trying to keep her expression stoic, but the cracks in her mask were all too obvious. “Just…” she said before closing her eyes, keeping what was left of her hardened features. “Just don’t do it again, ‘kay?”
“I can do that,” I agreed, throwing in a bit of humor. Rainbow’s small chuckle proved it worked. She turned around to spot Spitfire with a smile of her own. Rainbow’s joy evaporated instantly, stepping past Lightning and the guard as she stood on the opposite side of the cell.
“Spitfire…” Rainbow muttered, though not in surprise. She must have known before coming to me, but seeing it in front of her must have made it worse.
“Don’t worry about me, kid,” Spitfire waved off before pointing a hoof at me with a smirk. “If I were you, I’d be more worried for him. Did you know he is a bit crazy when it comes to curiosity?”
The joke made Rainbow crack another smile, raising an eyebrow at the same time. “Do I?!” she said, adding on to it, much to my chargan, “Nolan walked right up to the Resistance Headquarters and got shot. But he didn’t get a scratch.”
Spitfire blinked before turning her owlish gaze to me, causing me to chuckle as I walked out of the cell. “Bullet-proof vest,” I answered simply, gesturing to my chest. Then I furrowed my brow as a thought struck me. Was it possible for these ponies to replicate my vest to wear for themselves? If that could be done, the injuries alone could be reduced significantly. I should ask Twilight when I got a chance.
“Come on, Nolan,” Rainbow called, walking up the staircase, her voice having dropped from joking to anger. A glance to the other ponies showed I had missed something, as Spitfire was angry as well, and Lightning had a bored expression on her face. Without wasting any time, and dropping the fact Lightning had something planned for me, I followed Rainbow through the hallway. The scenery didn’t change at all as we moved along, passing cell by cell. It wasn’t until we reached the end of the hallway did Rainbow push open the door without losing her momentum, and I was met with sudden sunlight. A couple blinks later, I passed through the ajar door, and was greeted with a rather disappointed sight.
A wall of clouds greeted me, surrounding the prison. The cloud I stood upon that was floating in between two larger clouds showed a bit of the blue sky at the sides. They weren’t connected to each other, but it did give that impression. In some senses, it felt like I was at the bottom of a well. I did make out the tops of a few buildings on the larger clouds, but overall, the cloud I was on was isolated from the rest, which made sense, considering it was essentially a jail.
That’s when I caught sight of a Pegasus flying through the air, and just like that, I suddenly realized the sky was full of them. They were flying to and fro up above, each looking like they had somewhere to be. There were so many of them, it felt like a rainbow of colors racing around each other. Despite their busy nature, they still found the time to gawk, glare, or turn away from me. In fact, more than a few Pegasi were stopping in their tracks all together, just to simply turn their icy and bitter eyes on me. I could only give a half closed stare back, as I was really tired of shit like that.
Rainbow suddenly jumped in front of me, flying in place as she waved her forelegs. “Nothing to see here,” she stated plainly, waving off the spectators, “Keep on flapping. Friendly human here.”
I think it was more that it was Rainbow Dash herself that was deterring the other Pegasi, rather than her words or waving, but it worked nonetheless. The Pegasi continued on their way, though much more wary than before.
After that was all done, Rainbow put her forelegs on her hips - which kind of weirded me out her legs could bend that way - giving a grunt of disatisfaction. “You’re not exactly well known for being a good guy yet,” she explained with a small glance back, “But hopefully ponies’ll leave you alone.”
“Well, that’s comforting,” I commented sarcastically. I knew Rainbow meant well, but having no reassurance I wouldn’t be openly attacked wasn’t a comforting thought in the least.
“H-Human!” I heard a mare stutter, causing me to look behind me to see a Pegasus floating a couple feet away. Her coat was grayish, light purple with a cyan mane and tail. A cute pink bow sat on her smooth looking mane, which reminded me of Fluttershy’s for some reason. She had her forelegs close to her chest, and was quite fearful as she spoke. I couldn’t help but notice she also had a Cloudsdale Hunter uniform as well, though without the full mask, only covering up to her cheeks. A scabbard held a sword with a silver hilt, sitting just below the wing so it could be easily retrieved with the mouth. “Don’t-Don’t do anything f-fishy, okay?”
By her stuttering alone, I could tell she was very frightened to be around me, but from her words, she sounded like she was meant to watch me. I raised a brow a bit, wondering who would assign her with me. Then another Pegasus suddenly zoomed in front of me, getting up in my face similar to the way Rainbow did when I had first met her.
“You hurt one hair on her mane,” the mare threatened, “and you’re dead.”
That made me blink in surprise, taking a step back to get a better view of my threatener. She had the exact same colors as the other mare, but her mane was much more radical. The back side stood on end while the front part was a bit combed down, though just barely. She even wore the same exact clothing. The two were similar yet different at the same time, leading me to an inference between them.
Narrowing my eyes, I pointed a finger between the two as I said, “Are you… twins?”
“So what if we are?” the aggressive mare shot back, leaning her head forward, as if daring me to argue.
“Calm down, Cloudchaser,” Rainbow said with a stern expression, waving a hoof dismissively as she landed beside me. “He’s not with the other humans.”
“A human is a human, Rainbow,” Cloudchaser, as she was called, emphasised, landing in front of Rainbow Dash. “It doesn’t matter what he did or didn’t do, he’s still a human.”
Yeah, that was what I was afraid of a few days ago. However, I felt I could easily use what Twilight had said to me to my advantage. “Just because I’m a human,” I said, jabbing a thumb towards myself, “doesn’t mean I’m with the other humans. Hell, I’m not even from this damn planet.”
“A human alien,” Cloudchaser remarked sarcastically, turning to the other mare who was still hovering at eye level with myself, “Can you believe this, Flitter?”
I turned my eyes to the other mare, but that just made her nervous as she covered her face with her hooves. Why would she be so uncomfortable around me? If she was a Pegasus, she would have had little to no interaction with other humans. Wouldn’t she just be angry like the rest? Unless…
“Would you quit staring at her!?” Cloudchaser shouted, jumping to her back legs and shoving me a bit, glaring as much as anybody else. “You’re in Cloudsdale now, so don’t even think of doing that to her. Especially not when I’m here.”
“What?” I asked in shock, actually surprised she would jump to such a conclusion. I understood humans had their way with ponies, but these were Pegasi for crying out loud! They could just fly away, couldn’t they? Then again, Spitfire had been shot through the wing, and if the humans weren’t as nice as they were, then she’d be in a heap of trouble.
“Did something happen to her?” I questioned, gesturing towards Flitter, who was shivering a little at that point.
“What do you care?” Cloudchaser snapped, looking away from me as she shuffled closer to Flitter. Cloudchaser gave a brief sympathetic look over to her before turning back to me, as if trying to hide it from me and me alone. “Pegasi might be able to just fly away from danger, but sometimes, there are things you can’t just fly away from.”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Rainbow exclaimed, stomping a hoof, “I know Lightning wants you to watch over Nolan, but I don’t want any of that ‘every human is evil’ stuff. Nolan is cool, end of story.”
“Whatever,” Cloudchaser responded, though somewhat quietly. Flitter peeked over her hooves to gaze over to me, and though she didn’t hide right away when I looked over to her, she did lower herself behind Cloudchaser.
Rainbow sighed before turning to me, “Me and Dusty need to discuss a lot of things with Lightning and the other Pegasi. It may take a while, but don’t draw attention to yourself.”
“Not even the good kind?” I joked, though my heart wasn’t into it. Being alone with every single pony hating me wasn’t going to be pleasant. Rainbow simply gave me a stink eye, but it was enough to get her point across. “Okay, okay, I’ll lay low.”
“Thank you,” she said, though she stressed the word to make it sound like a sarcastic remark. Nonetheless, I nodded as she spread her wings, taking flight high into the air before disappearing over another cloud. Turning back to my two escorts, they both flinched and Cloudchaser stood defensively in front of Flitter.
“So are you two twins or not?” I replied, hoping to change the subject off of myself. “Yes or no?”
“Yes, we’re twins,” Cloudchaser said, her steeling gaze never wavering. “Happy?”
“I might be,” I said, though in all honesty, I actually was. If I could understand them a bit more, perhaps they wouldn’t be so distant. I glanced around the area, seeing that I was pretty much stuck on this single cloud that held the prison cells. And another glance to the Pegasi made me want to just hide back in my cell and talk with Spitfire, at least then I’d get a proper discussion going on.
“So…” the voice of Flitter started, catching my attention, “What exactly did you… w-want to do?”
A quick idea passed through my mind, “Get my stuff back, preferably.”
Cloudchaser glowered at me, “So what, you can go on a rampage?”
I sighed, knowing it was going to take a while to get through these two. It was a good thing I had a bit of practice. “No, you can keep my weapons if you want,” I said, grinding my teeth slightly, “but I’d at least like to get my mask and cigarettes back.”
“What’s a cigarette?” Flitter asked, actually taking a few steps forward.
“Some sort of gun!?” Cloudchaser shouted, leaping in front of her sister yet again.
“Oh would you relax?” I requested impatiently, rubbing my forehead, “You act like everything I have and do will be a threat to national security or something.”
“You mean like what happened to Equestria?” Cloudchaser said quietly, her glare softening for the first time as she bowed her head. Flitter instantly stepped to her side, placing a comforting wing over her. I guessed my remark was a bit out of line, even after the few months since the invasion. I always thought the ponies were overreacting to how their country fell, but I had failed to realize it was their home. I knew if the United States was taken over, I would be pretty sensitive about it as well.
God, I could be pretty callous sometimes.
“Fine,” I sighed with a shake of my head, “Let’s forget about the cigarettes. Can I at least get my mask back?”
“What’s so important about that?” Flitter asked though with no hint of malice, just curiosity.
“It made me who I am in this place,” I stated, surprising myself with how true the statement was. “It’s… special.”
Flitter was obviously hesitant, looking over to her sister constantly. They must have some sort of connection that transcended sisterhood, like they had to rely on each other so much that they had to watch each others’ backs periodically. Thanks to the humans, no less.
“Will it get you to stop asking questions?” Cloudchaser snapped, surprising Flitter as she retracted her wing. Cloudchaser didn’t care, her determination to keep me in check shining brightly.
“Sure,” I said with a sigh, turning away from them. My answer showed I was getting tired of being treated like I was a loose cannon. It might have been the case in a few situations, but I knew who to aim my gun at. I examined the area, getting a better idea of my surroundings. It was apparent I was somewhat lower than the other portions of the city, and was only able to see the thick clouds that made up the foundation. Facing the brims of the larger clouds, I wondered how I would be able to get to them, or any other clouds that were disconnected. I could walk on clouds just fine, but I was still lacking in the wing department. They must have had some sort of bridge to get across these gaps. After all, foals wouldn’t be able to fly as soon as they were born… Unless, that was another strange thing that happened in Equestria.
My head lowered to search the edge of the cloud I was on, and did not fail as my eyes found a sort of bridge. My ambiguous description was purposeful, as the bridge wasn’t really a bridge. At best, it was a sort of beam or thin platform, never meant to be walked on. With a bit more thought, the Pegasi probably intended to form it like that, possibly as a subtle punishment to whatever prisoner was in this jail. I was also willing to bet the Pegasi would lock up a prisoner’s wings when they were escorting them, so the bridge would be used as a fear factor directed at the criminals.
Damn, and there I thought Equestria wasn’t so cruel. Probably another addition because of the humans. But how many Pegasi prisoners had there been to require such a bridge? It was a perplexing thought, but as my eyes wandered across the bridge, I found a set of stairs rising alongside the side of the large cloud, directing it to the very top. That was my ticket to Cloudsdale major.
With my path set, I walked forward at a brisk pace towards the bridge, Cloudchaser and Flitter quickly taking to the air as they hovered a few feet away from me. I could almost feel their eyes bore into my skull, looking for even the slightest notion I was a threat. I had no idea how well trained they were with those swords of theirs, but I wasn’t going to tempt fate. I’d rather keep my head where it belonged.
I didn’t hesitate for a moment when I reached the bridge, pressing on like I was walking on a sidewalk. It wasn’t as thin as I had thought, being about a meter in width, but it was still very hazardous. In fact, as I walked along the platform, I glanced at the drop that awaited me if I didn’t watch my step.
The cloud I was on must have been as high as a skyscraper, being several stories up. At the surface of Equestria, I could see the forests and plains Cloudsdale hovered over, shrouded in shadow. The trees were mere blades of grass, and any large boulder was a pebble. I wasn’t afraid of heights, but I think anyone in my position would be a bit freaked out. Tearing my eyes away, I took a deep breath, calming myself, suddenly becoming anxious. The sooner I crossed the bridge, the sooner I could get to-
A small push was applied to my side, tipping me over ever so slightly towards the edge. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the murderous fall, waiting patiently to swallow me up. With my stomach dropping, I swayed a bit, waving my arms around while grunting in panic. With quick movements, I regained my balance, lowering my body to keep myself oriented on the platform. Cold sweat had broken out all around my body, and my breathing was much louder.
The uncontrolled sound of laughter to my side reached my ears, and I shaky looked over to see Cloudchaser. Her hooves were holding her stomach, her face slightly red from so much mirth. It didn’t take an expert to know she was behind my near-death experience, and I clenched my teeth in fury. “Did you…” she wheezed, easing her laughter just enough to speak clearly, “Did you see his face!? Priceless!”
I faced away from her with a huff, shakily standing back up. With a quick glance to Flitter to see her reaction, I saw she was even more frightened than before, which didn’t make sense to me. With a shake of my head, I started forward again, being much more mindful of where my feet were stepping.
Abruptly, another shove from behind - one that was much more forceful - pushed me forward, making me stumble as my breath hitched in my throat. Aiming for the ground, I fell onto my stomach, my arms clamping to the sides as I kept my tumble as still as possible. Clutching the cloud bridge like a lifeline, I remained there for longer than I needed to, making sure I wasn’t dead for the second time in a few minutes.
Another burst of laughter was behind me, making me stretch my neck to get a good look. And of course, it was Cloudchaser again, only this time she was lying on the bridge, smacking the cloud like she was having a hard time breathing. Her very red face concluded she found it absolutely hilarious to bat me around like a cat playing with a mouse.
“Oh my Celestia!” she cried before breaking out in another round of snickering, “That was… that was even better than before!”
For some reason, I couldn’t muster the energy to be angry at her, probably because fear was welling up inside me instead. However, I needed to get going, so shivering I stood to my feet, suddenly extremely fearful of the ground far below. Swallowing, I spread my arms out a little bit, hoping it would help balance me out, even though I’d had no real trouble earlier. However, before I could even take another step, Cloudchaser knocked my feet forward, causing me to fall onto my back and knock the air out of me.
Completely disoriented at that point, I coughed as I gasped, desperately getting air into my lungs. Having a heavy kevlar vest could really be a hassle sometimes. Cloudchaser didn’t care about my condition as she chuckled heartily, her laughter much more dumbed down than before. My heart was pounding, completely terrified of even standing on my own two feet. I was at an extreme disadvantage, mostly because I couldn’t fight back. Even I wanted to just teach her a lesson, it could be interpreted as an assault, and then everything would go wrong.
Warily, I turned my body to the side and pushed myself up to sit down. My hands kept a firm grasp on the ledges, like letting go would bring about my doom. People had shot me before, tried to kill me, but at that moment, I could easily be pushed right off the side, and no one would bat an eye.
I needed to get control of the situation, and fast.
Taking a long and strenuous breath, I pushed myself up to my feet, turning to Cloudchaser again. When I looked over, I saw a thoughtful expression on her face, maybe even regret. Shaking out of her stupor, she gave a wide smile, chuckling slightly, though a bit strained.
“Knock it off,” I muttered, mustering what anger I could as I glared at her. My shivering body may make it look like I was afraid, but I had to put up some front. I didn’t want to appear weak around these Pegasi.
“No way,” Cloudchaser said with another small chuckle, “I’m going to have my fun now before-”
“Knock it off!” I shouted taking a few steps toward her as she jerked back in surprise, “Yes, I’m a goddamn human, but I’m still a fucking person!”
I was actually shocked I had the courage to face her like that, what with being able to die with a simple push. But I stood my ground, taking deep breaths from my shout. A small tap around my throat could be felt, and I faced where it had originated. Flitter had her sword in her mouth, and the blade was just a few centimeters away from piercing my throat. The sword was like a claymore, but had a bit more of a curve to it. However, I wasn’t really focused on that, staring at Flitter with a blank expression. She had a look in her eye, one that had been persistent since I had first met her. The reason the blade had tapped me in the first place was because she was shivering so much.
She was so afraid; of me, of losing her sister, of what could’ve happened if she hadn’t acted. But what she was really afraid of was if she had the fortitude to take that leap, and kill someone to protect another. Yet another innocent forced to do something they never thought they would have to face.
I closed my eyes as I shook my head in dismissal. “That’s the problem with most of you ponies,” I said, looking at Cloudchaser’s still surprised face before turning back to the bridge. “You all are becoming too much like humans.”
I didn’t say another word as I crossed the rest of the bridge, and traveled up the long staircase. And though Cloudchaser and Flitter were following me, they stayed a little further away.
***
After many grueling minutes climbing an absurd amount of steps, I made it up to the top part of the clouds. And up there, for a few seconds, I forgot about all the misery in Equestria. I would have called the sight I saw paradise if there wasn’t a nagging voice in the back of my head.
To sum up, it was the most unreal place I had seen in Equestria, with fantastical houses and Greek pillars on every cloud I could see. Pegasi swooped and dived in different locations, arriving at their destinations like colorful worker ants. The horizon was devoid of everything; no trees or mountains to remind me I was on the ground. It truly felt like I was in a cloud city, and I was relishing in that fact.
Then, it came to a screeching halt. Not in the bad way, but not really good either. Pinkie popped her head out of the cloud like a gopher before gasping loudly upon seeing me. Becoming a pink blur, she catapulted out of the cloud and onto my chest, knocking me down in no time flat while hugging me tightly around the chest.
“Nolan!” she cried happily, snuggling her muzzle into my chest, which couldn’t be very comfy. “You’re okay!”
Even though I was knocked down on the ground by a pony again, I had to chuckle, actually glad to see Pinkie. I was a little bit worried about her after the crash, but she looked like she was fine and dandy to me. It was at that moment Pinkie pushed off of my chest, putting her nose to mine as she got serious.
“Did they hurt you?” she asked desperately, her eyes - being blue in color - were determined, all cheerfulness having evaporating. “Please say they didn’t.”
Her sudden concern caught me off guard, making me hesitate from answering her. I had been hurt by the Pegasai, but I couldn’t bring myself just to point the finger at Cloudchaser. A glance towards her told me she had tensed up, but still held her angry glare, albeit somewhat softer than before.
“They…” I started, looking Pinkie in the eye as she perked her ears up, “didn’t hurt me, Pinkie. I’m like you said: okay.”
“Good,” Pinkie said with a swift nod, her smile returning in full as she bounced off me in a single bound. She bounced a little more on the tips of her hooves as I pushed myself up to my feet. I had to hand it to her, Pinkie could boost someone’s confidence in such little time. And I couldn't help but share a bit of it.
“Yeah, it is good to not be hurt,” I joked, scratching the back of my head, gazing around the area a bit more. “So how’s Cloudsdale? It’s kind of hard to know about a place in a prison cell.”
A stern grunt from behind told me Cloudchaser was still unhappy with my release. Wow, it was going to be a while to get them used to me. No one said it would be easy, but I didn’t know where to start. Regardless, I paid more attention to Pinkie, who had halted midair when I asked about Cloudsdale. It was pretty cool, but I didn’t bother questioning why it happened. The content mood Pinkie was radiating changed on a dime again, but this time, she was incredibly sad, her mane drooping a little to match.
“Cloudsdale…” she whispered, looking back to the landscape of the city, “isn’t so good.”
It was a cryptic message indeed, and with another glance around, I wondered if it held truth. I didn’t doubt Pinkie Pie, but whatever she was referring to couldn’t be blatantly seen. That gave me more unease than if the problem was in plain sight.
“Come on,” Pinkie said, waving a hoof to follow her as she walked away, “You have to see this.”
I hummed for a moment before setting out with her, figuring I could get my mask later. We didn’t go along any sort of path, since the Pegasi had no reason to walk anywhere, but the terrain made it a bit difficult. Cloudchaser and Flitter offered nothing as Pinkie and I struggled through the clouds. In comparison, it was equivalent to walking through a very rocky trail, since every little tuft of cloud that jutted upward was a trippable obstacle.
After a few minutes of that, we finally made it to some sort of sloped pit, gazing off into a large encampment. The large pit-like area was enclosed by walls that were twice as tall as myself, with dome-like clouds that acted as tents. Then there were the Pegasi, hundreds of them, all milling tightly around each other. Their expressions weren’t exactly happy, and it made me come to a grim conclusion.
“Pinkie,” I said slowly, my eyes scanning over the ponies, “What is this place?”
Pinkie whined a bit, her head lowering, “An immigrant camp.”
I gave a heavy sigh, tearing my eyes away at last to stare at my feet, “I was afraid of that.”
A grunt from Cloudchaser could be heard, making me whip around at her, my eyes narrowing. “Something the matter?” I questioned harshly, noting her hardened features.
“Yes,” she said with a nod, “Why would a human like you care if there are immigrants? You’re the cause of all this in the first place.”
Pinkie blinked in shock, turning towards Cloudchaser with a heart-broken face. “Nolan didn’t do any of this,” Pinkie said with a shake of her head, looking very sad, “He helps ponies.”
“Like your insanity?” Cloudchaser retorted, making Pinkie flinch and causing me to growl. Cloudchaser crossed the line at that point. She could knock me around all she liked, but I wasn’t going to let her insult my friends. Flitter even gawked at her, and for the first time, I saw her become angry as she closed in on her.
“Cloudchaser!” she scolded, getting up in Cloudchaser face. “How could you talk to somepony else like that? Don’t you remember what Mom told us?”
The shock on Cloudchaser’s face was just the same as my own. I didn’t expect Flitter to snap like that, especially to her sister. She must have only been able to stand up to Cloudchaser, keeping her in check, even if Flitter could barely talk to a human like myself.
Cloudchaser bowed her head, still stunned, but I didn’t think it was simply because Flitter had shouted at her. “I… I don’t know w-what…” she stammered, her jaw slowly opening as if she was just realizing something horrible. “I’m sorry!”
Then she took off, flying faster than I had seen anyone fly in a while. Flitter didn’t say a word, as though she hadn’t completely registered Cloudchaser had left. When she finally came back to reality, she gave a brief blink before yelling, “Cloudchaser, wait!”
It was too late to call her back, having disappeared over a cloud near a group of houses. The three of us stared at where she had gone, our thoughts clouding the environment. I felt like I was tearing these two Pegasi apart, one way or another. It started out because I was the subject, and it ended with Cloudchaser taking off because of how she had acted.
“Do you want to go after her?” I asked, facing Flitter who was still gazing somberly at a certain cloud.
“N-No,” she said, attempting to sound determined, and succeeding for the most part. She turned towards me, and when she saw I was looking at her, averted her eyes to the side, her head sinking back. “I have a responsibility to watch you, and-and that’s what I’m going to do.”
She wanted to chase after her sister. The look in her eyes said it all. In her position, I would do the same. I may not have had a brother or sister, but the urge to comfort someone you love is always familiar.
“Oh,” Pinkie pipped up, though not nearly as happy as she once was. Her head was tilted at a small angle, getting a better look at what she saw at the immigrant camp. “I think I see Dusty from here.”
With slight interest, I looked over as well, seeing the gray, duster coat-wearing stallion that was Dusty. He was speaking with a few of the Pegasi while quickly scribbling on a clipboard. He was taking notes, but for what was anybody’s guess.
“I wonder what he’s up to,” I mused, my mind still worrying for Flitter. A quick glance over to her confirmed she was still focused away from us. A distraction was definitely something she needed.
“Flitter,” I said gently, making her turn toward me sluggishly, her eyes a bit droopy and watery. “ If you're serious about keeping an eye on me, than you have to come with us.”
Flitter wiped her eyes, “Yeah, R-Right.”
Pinkie took that as a reason to hop off the ledge and onto the sloped hill, trotting down to the encampment below. With a ghost of a smile, I stepped down as well, forcing myself to slow down so as not to trip. When we reached the bottom, the effect of fear was instantaneous as everyone’s eyes were glued to me. The same mixture of fear and anger swept through the crowd of ponies. Some fell back to the tents, while a few stood their ground, ready to fight if need be. Lucky for them, they had no reason to prepare.
Sighing through my nose, and with Pinkie standing up straight like a knight guarding a king, we walked through the camp. I was semi aware that Flitter was behind me, but she was so quiet she may as well not have been there at all. Even still, the idea of someone constantly watching me didn’t lower anyone’s vigilance.
As we approached Dusty, Pinkie rushed on ahead, trotting to a stop behind him. She looked over his shoulder, noting what he was writing for a moment. The way he wrote was by using his mouth to move the pencil across the paper. It certainly was a way to write, and I had to hand it to the ponies, they were pretty inventive when it came to their limited pony bodies.
Finished secretly examining his written words, Pinkie gave a small smile. “Hey, Dusty,” Pinkie said, making the stallion jump, dropping the clipboard and pencil to the floor. When he turned around, his snout made contact with Pinkie’s, and though she only gave a toothy grin, Dusty gave a very faint blush as he took a few steps back. I openly laughed at his condition, finding it humorous he would behave in such a way. I had a feeling he liked Pinkie more than he let on.
“Uh, hello, Pinkie,” he said with a nod, his tone way too neutral for the situation. “And… Nolan.”
Counting my name made me chuckle a little more, especially since he was glaring at me ever so slightly for laughing at him. His eyes flickered back to Pinkie, who had stepped unusually close to him, with a scrunched up face. Dusty jerked a moment, but remained frozen, as if moving would set off a bomb.
I had to laugh some more at that.
Shaking off his stupor, he glared at me. “This isn’t a laughing matter, Nolan,” he said angrily, making me halt in my mirth instantly, growing serious. He was right, I was in an immigrant camp of Pegasi that had been pushed out of their homes and separated from their family because of my species. Why had I found such small things so comical? Regardless of what that answer might have been, he stayed quiet as his features grew stern. Dusty grabbed the fallen clipboard in his mouth and placed it on an outstretched hoof, holding it up like he had earlier.
“Are those names?” Pinkie asked, tapping the clipboard in curiosity.
“Yeah,” Dusty replied with a nod, turning away as he read the board, “A few of the Pegasi here are parents, and I was collecting names to see if any of their Pegasi foals were at Las Pegasus. Just something extra to keep me occupied as I collect some info.”
“Info?” I questioned, stepping past Pinkie to look at the clipboard myself. Along with the aforementioned names, there were many numbers and stats littering the paper. I couldn’t read what they represented - thanks to Dusty’s chicken scratch handwriting - but it definitely was a hunk of data. “Is that for the mayor?”
“And the rest of the council,” Dusty added, nodding once again as he reviewed what he had gotten down so far. “It’s going to take some mighty amount of convincing to get their help.”
“Yeah,” I said with a sigh, crossing my arms as I looked around at the surrounding Pegasi, “Figured that already.”
“Like you have any right to be sarcastic,” Dusty growled, giving me a hard sideways glance, “Thanks to your little visit, the council is stuck in a stalemate whether we’re simply slaves trying to trick them.”
I ran a hand through my hair, gripping it tightly afterwards. I just had to rush up to Cloudsdale, didn’t I? I just had to play the hero. I couldn’t believe the lies I had told myself. But like Spitfire said, what was done was done. I just had to make up for my mistake.
“What can I do, Dusty?” I questioned, making him face me with a raised brow. “I mean, to show the city council I’m with you ponies. There’s gotta be something I can do.”
“Well, since you’re a human…” Dusty said with a growing smile, one that I didn’t like one bit. “You could always use subterfuge.”
“Hilarious,” I grunted disdainfully and sarcastically, crossing my arms, “Weren’t you the one that said this wasn’t a laughing matter?”
“I’m not laughing, now am I?” he smirked, looking over his clipboard again as I rubbed my head. I was going to need a vacation after this trip. “I think I saw some Pegasi trying to teach others about humans. Maybe you can… enlighten them.”
If the Pegasi wouldn’t kill me, his jokes would. But it was something to do, and it could put me in a good light. Without saying another word, I left behind Pinkie and Dusty, heading past a few more cloud tents. I had seen the group from a distance, but as I approached, I got a better view of them. It looked more like a classroom, since most of the Pegasi were gathered around while one other spoke to them.
Somehow, none of them noticed me, and I kept it that way, standing a ways away with my arms crossed as I listened to the presentation.
“-Never fight a human head on, understood?” the instructor said, a mare with an artic blue coat and white mane. Just like Spitfire and Lightning Dust, her mane was swept back, and she wore a Cloudsdale Hunter outfit, with goggles resting on her forehead. She even had a bit of a lisp, though it was somewhat unnoticable.
The group didn’t answer her question as the mare eyed everyone present, looking for weakness. I was familiar with that look, having it given to myself during my training in the police force. I would say it was the same as the military, but I knew they were much harsher.
Satisfied with what she saw, the mare smirked, “Now, you’re probably wondering why you should kill a human unseen. None of you have seen real combat with a human.”
Again, more silence. It was understandable why everyone would behave in such a way, but it made me uneasy, like they were robots. Must have been part of their training.
The mare put a hoof to her mouth, clearing her throat politely before speaking. “A human has a lot of weaponry. Besides just their firearms, they have knives and explosives. Not only that, but it has been learned humans can make use of their environment to construct even more weapons. A list of known weapons such as these are: a plank of wood, a metal bar, a broken bottle, and bricks.”
The entire group was abuzz with conversation, every single pony was startled of this news. As for me, I had to shake my head in slight amusement, knowing a whole lot more could be made. And that was just limiting us to grabbable objects, since humans are also pretty good using our own body parts as well.
“But don’t worry,” the mare said with a wave of her hoof, quieting the group, “Most humans are too stupid to know this.”
I tilted my head back in forth as I stared at the sky; that certainly was debatable. Many of the gathered Pegasi were relieved to hear of this, but the mare still wasn’t finished
“Furthermore,” she continued, smirking from what she was about to say, “all humans are warmongering monsters, so we have the advantage of cunning on our side.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” I said, and when everyone turned at my direction, the reaction was instant. The Pegasi closest to me jumped into the air, quickly backing away with their wings in panic. The other Pegasi eyed me with thirst for my death, but no one was nearly as pissed as the one mare was. The savage look in her eye alone told me she was just barely restraining herself from rocketing forward to rip me limb from limb.
The mare was silent for a while, as was everyone else as they stared at me. I simply stared back, though much more uncaring than I intended. “You the human Lightning let loose?” she snarked, causing me to nod as an answer, “Then what do you want?”
“To tell you you’re wrong,” I stated bluntly, walking forward. The Pegasi jumped out of the way, allowing me to cut through the group and up to the mare. “The name’s Nolan, by the way.”
“Don’t expect me to use it,” she shot back, a small smile forming, like she was entertaining herself with her own insults, “But I’m Fleetfoot.”
“Right,” I said in acknowledgement, “Anyway, yeah, humans aren’t simply mindless monsters you know.”
“So… what?” Fleetfoot said stepping past me as she looked over the crowd, as if to rile them up against me, “Are you here to say you’re different?”
I grunted, “Hell no.”
Fleetfoot turned her head back to me, actually dumbfounded by my proclamation. Even a few of the Pegasi were giving each other these perplexed looks. I gave a brief smirk before hardening my features, looking off to the side in thought. “I’ve done that too many times now,” I said, “And quite frankly, I’m not going to be staying here for long. What I meant that humans aren’t monsters, is that you’re not giving them enough credit with their intelligence.”
Fleetfoot gave a quick glance back at the group of Pegasi before leaning forward, holding a hoof next to her mouth. “It’s just something to make everyone feel better,” she whispered. “Boost morale.”
“Well, don’t do it,” I said blatantly, making her jerk back in surprise, pointing to the ground to emphasise my point. “They need to know. Otherwise, they’re going to make some decisions that could cost them their lives.”
With a grimace, Fleetfoot stared at the ground, and I rose my voice as I stared at her, letting everyone hear. “As much as it'll make you feel better, humans are smarter than they appear. They took Equestria, your home, they were able to take Canterlot, a fortress on a mountain, and they’re driving all of you to starvation. If you think so closed-minded, then you’re just going to lose. Badly.”
With all eyes on me, I dug through one of my pockets, unintentionally twisting to the side to get a better reach. I needed something to prove my point a little more, and I wondered if I still had the letter from Celestia to Twilight. It had been a while, but I was sure I had kept it there. My hand passed over other documents, I couldn’t see. I just needed to-
A loud bang rang through the air, making me pull out my hand from surprise. The group all ducked instinctively, all manner of shouting and curses mixing together. That was a handgun going off, but where did it come from? Who shot it? My eyes landed on Fleetfoot who swayed left and right before falling to her side, her shoulder bleeding profusely. Shit, that wasn't good! Where the hell was-?
A gun, a revolver - no, my revolver - landed beside me only a foot away, making my eyes widen as I took a step away like it was cursed. What the hell was happening!? Where did Vera come from!?
“Hey, a gun!” one of the Pegasi pointed out, finally noticing the revolver as well, “But did… did the human fire it off?”
Oh… fuck me.
“Stop him, quick!” another pegasus shouted, pointing to myself. I was so confused and disoriented; I just shook my head as I backed away, my hands held up in a vain attempt to show I wasn’t a threat.
“I didn’t do this!” I yelled, but a pegasus had already knocked into my chest, tackling me to the ground. The sounds of dozens of swords unsheathing reverberated in my ears as my head knocked against the cloud floor once again. A sharp piece of metal dug into my neck a little bit, drawing blood. The pegasus on top of me was all I could see too, with only a couple other Pegasi surrounding him.
“I knew you were trouble,” the pegasus stallion said, standing on my chest. He looked and sounded like the pony that was with Spitfire when I had first met her. I couldn’t remember his name though. Even if I wanted to, I was panicking, knowing death was imminent yet again. I couldn’t even speak, my voice suddenly disappearing as my head went blank. I just couldn’t figure out what had happened. “I should have killed you when I had the chance.”
Before I could contemplate on what the Pegasus meant, the forceful shoves of someone breaking through a crowd could be heard. And with the comments of discontent from the other Pegasi, I knew it had to be someone supporting me.
“Hold it!” the voice of Dusty shouted, making some of the Pegasi back off, except for the one on top of me, who glared at me like it would incinerate me. “Everyone back away from the human!”
Even more Pegasi backed away from me, but the pegasi on top of me was still motionless. I heard Dusty growl, “I’m a representative of Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty, and I’m saying this one last time, Soarin. Back. Away. From the human.”
With a loud huff, Soarin hopped off, walking away while growling like a beast. Taking a few breaths, I pushed myself up to a sitting position, while my hand inexplicitly landed on my revolver. Like a flash, someone cut into my wrist, making me jerk my hand back with a hiss of pain. With my arm shaking, I examined it, noting a clean slice had appeared, dripping blood onto my pants.
I gripped my arm to stop the bleeding, but it didn’t have much effect as the blood seeped around my hand. I would need some bandages. Lowering my arm, I looked to find it was Soarin, his sword gripped tightly in his mouth with my blood splattered on it. With a twist of his head, he sheathed the weapon, turning away without another glance towards me. “You’re not killing anyone else today, you monster,” he growled, making his way to the group of ponies surrounding Fleetfoot.
With an expert eye, I could tell the bullet may have passed a few major arteries. If she wasn’t treated quickly, she’d die of blood loss. Luckily, she was already set on a white cloth - probably loaned from one of the immigrants. Two Pegasi took hold of each end of the cloth in their mouth, their teeth clamping down on it. Beating their wings, they hovered a moment to make sure Fleetfoot was secure before taking off. The sheet was already soaking with her blood, showing everyone the Pegasus’ condition. As they left, I took note of dozens of other Pegasi, a mixture of Cloudsdale Hunters and immigrants, the gunshot having gotten all of their attention.
“Tell me,” Dusty exclaimed, standing motionless. His eyes were unreadable, yet held a growing ember of anger, the fire growing with each passing second. Despite his steely gaze, I stared right back at him, waiting for him to finish. “Did you shoot that Pegasus?”
I could feel my face tighten as I let that question hang for a moment, “No.”
“Too bad,” Dusty sighed, relaxing his expression as he faced the numerous Pegasi that were crowding the area. The familiar stares were even more intense than I had ever seen ever before. They were out for my blood, that was for damn sure. “Because nopony is going to believe you.”